Friday, May 22, 2009

Recently a friend sent me a link to a presentation by one of my most favorite people. When I was a science teacher I regularly used clips of episodes of Mythbusters in my classroom. The way they approach scientific problems is classic (and the kids love to see stuff blow up!). Adam Savage, one of the hosts of that show has got to be one of the most eccentric men around. Not only is he a talented artist but he is just the kind of guy you could hang out with and talk to endlessly about science. Anyway, back on point. A friend of mine sent me a video of a talk he did about his search for the dodo bird and how it lead him to another obsession. Check it out....

This presentation is part of the TED Series of lectures. (Technology Entertainment Design). Each year in Long Beach the TED group brings together the worlds most "fascinating thinkers and doer's." Each presenter chooses their topic and has 18 minutes to present. From their Mission:

"We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other."

Over the years they have had 100's of interesting speakers talking about all sorts of topics. From Al Gore talking about climate change to Billy Graham talking about Technology and Religion to the famous Johnny Lee video making an Interactive Whiteboard out of a Wii remote, there are some very interesting, passionate and provocative presentations.

You can search their site by topic and/or presenter for find a video. Or you could use the TED Talks Google Doc to find information also. However you do it, you need to spend some time with the best Thinkers and Doers in the world. Head on over to TED and see how some are changing the world in 18 minutes.

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